Department for Communities and Local Government

Housing: Construction

the lord bishop of st albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their assessment of the impact of the removal of the requirement for developers to provide a certain proportion of affordable housing in developments of ten homes or fewer on the number of small and medium-sized enterprise builders over the last two years.

lord bourne of aberystwyth: Government does not have data on the number of small and medium-sized (SME) builders over the last two years, but the National House Building Council (NHBC) estimated that the number of homes registered by small builders fell from 44,000 in 2007 to 16,000 in 2016.Our Housing White Paper published in February this year recognised that small sites create particular opportunities for smaller developers, as well as custom developers, and set out a number of proposals for national policy changes so that local planning authorities have policies that support the development of small sites.

Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Saudi Arabia: Radicalism

the lord bishop of leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they made to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Abdel al-Jubeir, when he visited London on 4 September, concerning reports of financial and logistical support provided by Saudi Arabia to Daesh and other radical Sunni groups in the Middle East and Asia.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: This was not discussed on 5 September. We have seen no evidence to suggest there has been any funding of Daesh by the Government of Saudi Arabia. Where we do have concerns we do not shy away from raising them. Saudi Arabia has had its own painful experiences as the victim of numerous Daesh attacks. It is a key ally in the fight against Daesh, participating in coalition airstrikes to fight it and speaking out against its poisonous ideology.

Saudi Arabia: Religious Freedom

the lord bishop of leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they made to the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Abdel al-Jubeir, when he visited London on 4 September, concerning religious freedom, eliminating discriminatory enforcement of laws against religious minorities, and promoting respect and tolerance for minority Muslim and non-Muslim religious practices and beliefs.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: Saudi Arabia remains a Foreign and Commonwealth Office human rights priority country, particularly because of the restrictions on freedom of religion or belief. Although not discussed on 5 September, we regularly raise our concern with the Government of Saudi Arabia.

Saudi Arabia: Arms Trade

the lord bishop of leeds: To ask Her Majesty's Government what guarantees, if any, they sought from the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saudi Arabia, Abdel al-Jubeir, when he visited London on 4 September, that British arms sales to Saudi Arabia will only be used in accordance with international humanitarian law.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: During his visit to London on 4-5 September, Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir had meetings with the Prime Minister and Foreign Secretary. Both raised the importance of Coalition compliance with their international humanitarian law obligations.The UK Government takes its arms export licensing responsibilities very seriously and operates one of the most robust arms export control regimes in the world. Our defence exports to Saudi Arabia are kept under careful and continual review to ensure they meet the rigorous standards of the Consolidated EU and National Arms Export Licensing Criteria. All export licence applications are assessed on a case-by-case basis, taking account of all relevant factors at the time of the application.We welcomed the High Court’s ruling in July this year that UK Government decisions on arms export licensing to Saudi Arabia are lawful. The judgment stated the Government was rationally entitled to conclude that Saudi Arabia has been, and remains, genuinely committed to compliance with international humanitarian law. We note the application to appeal and will continue to defend the decisions challenged.

Pakistan: Religious Freedom

lord alton of liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they last raised with the government of Pakistan (1) the anti-Ahmadiyya laws set out in Penal Code Article 298, and(2) that government'sobligations to protect freedom of religion or belief; and whether they intend to encourage the government of Pakistan to invite the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Freedom of Religion or Belief to make a country visit to Pakistan.

lord ahmad of wimbledon: The UK Government remains firmly committed to the promotion and protection of Freedom of Religion or Belief. We regularly raise concerns about the protection and persecution of minority communities, including Ahmadiyya Muslims, the blasphemy laws and the protection of freedom of religion or belief to the Government of Pakistan at a senior level. The Foreign Secretary raised the importance we attach to religious tolerance and safeguarding the rights of all Pakistan's citizens during his visit to Pakistan in November 2016. The former Minister for Asia and the Pacific, my hon. Friend the Member for Reading West (Mr Sharma), discussed the protection of religious minorities with Kamran Michael, former Minister for Human Rights, and Barrister Zafarullah Khan, Prime Minister's Special Assistant for Human Rights, during a visit to Pakistan in January 2017.We continue to urge Pakistan to take the steps necessary to comply in full with its human rights obligations, including engaging with the UN and other international bodies, and to ensure that the rights of minorities are respected.